


Four Times Sydney and Adrian Didn't Go To Rome and One Time They Did

by katayla



Category: Bloodlines Series - Richelle Mead
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-16
Updated: 2016-03-16
Packaged: 2018-05-27 03:17:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6267415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katayla/pseuds/katayla





	Four Times Sydney and Adrian Didn't Go To Rome and One Time They Did

**Author's Note:**

  * For [valkyrierising](https://archiveofourown.org/users/valkyrierising/gifts).



1\. 

_Sydney_

"You know," Adrian said, late at night. "Now that we're not running from the Alchemists . . . ."

"Yes?" I said, turning on my side to face him. It had been a year and we were just starting to feel settled in our new lives. It had taken a while to set everything in motion and longer to believe it could work.

He brushed a finger along my cheek. "We could take vacations . . . Rome. Take Declan to see the world."

I smiled at the thought, but only for a moment. "We can't afford it, Adrian. You know that."

He groaned. "We can make it work! Credit cards, Sage!"

"That," I said, "would be a mistake. Do you want to hear another lecture on credit card debt?"

It was a debate--okay, maybe argument--we'd had when we were trying to figure out how to support ourselves. Adrian was ready to sign up for every credit card offer that showed up in the mail so that I could go to college. He might not use spirit these days, but his impulsiveness was his own.

"I know," he said. "I just want to give you . . . everything."

"You have," I said, and moved closer to kiss him.

2.

_Adrian_

"We should have another baby," Sydney said. It was late at night and we'd been enjoying the spring air in our back yard.

She did this sometimes, announced plans out of the blue, as if they just occurred to her when I knew she'd been thinking them over for months. Maybe years. My wife was a planner.

"Now?" I blinked.

"Yes," she said. "It would be good for Declan to have a sibling and . . . . don't you want it?"

And she glanced up at me, with this shy little look, and almost blushed.

" _Yes._ " I'd been imagining kids of ours for years, since before we made Declan our own. "But . . . now? You only have one more year of college."

"I know, but I don't think our timing is going to get any better."

I raised an eyebrow. "Studying and finals and tests while pregnant? You remember what Lissa went through, right?"

The Moroi queen had recently welcomed her first child, a daughter, into the world. She kept it hidden from most of court, but her pregnancy had been a miserable one.

"And then it'll be a new job and not wanting to take time off and . . . there will always be complications."

"What about Rome?" I asked. We'd been planning on finally going after she graduated.

She smiled a little wistfully. "Rome can wait. This is a bigger dream."

"I love you," I said. "And I will love our baby, too."

"Come on," she said, and took my hand and led me to our bedroom.

3.  
 _Sydney_

"If this goes badly, just remember we could've been in Rome," Adrian whispered in my ear.

"Adrian!" I said.

He brushed a kiss to my cheek. "It'll be wonderful."

For the first time, Zoe was coming to celebrate Christmas with us. We'd been in contact throughout the years, but she was still hesitant about being close to us. The Alchemists might have loosened up, but they still weren't big fans of ours.

But I knew Mom and Carly had been working on her, and showing her pictures of the kids, and Zoe had finally accepted our invitation.

The doorbell rang and Adrian gave me a quick hug. "Go."

I opened the door alone. We had decided that would make it easiest on Zoe.

"Hi," she said, hugging her arms to herself. 

It was amazing to see her look so grown up. I'd fought for so long to keep her out of the Alchemists, but she was working hard on finding her own place in the group. I was pretty sure she wouldn't run off and marry a Moroi anytime soon, but, maybe, maybe, she would claim one or two as friends.

"Hi," I said. We stood there, staring at each other for a long moment before I stepped aside, so she could come in.

She took a deep breath and walked in. Adrian was sitting on the couch, but Zoe's eyes were trained on the tiny person in his arms.

"Oh!" she said, hand to her mouth.

Adrian held up the baby. "Ana," he said. "I would like you to meet your Aunt Zoe."

Zoe took a step forward, arms reaching towards our daughter. "Can I?"

To my surprise, the question was directed at Adrian, not me.

"Of course!" He said, and settled the baby in her arms. "But don't forget to give Declan equal cuddle time. He gets jealous."

Zoe nodded absently. "Hi," she whispered to Ana.

Adrian put his arms around me. "Better than Rome?"

I nodded, tears in my eyes.

4.

_Adrian_

We were looking up tickets to Rome when Jill and Eddie burst into the room.

"Look!" Jill said, holding her left hand up. Her right hand was tightly clutched to Eddie's.

"Oh my gosh!" Sydney jumped up from her chair. "Congratulations!"

"Jailbait!" I said, pulling Jill into my arms. "Look at you."

And then I took a moment to send a mock glare at Eddie. "Took you long enough."  
"I can't believe you didn't tell us you were going to propose!" Sydney said to Eddie.

He shrugged. "Wasn't sure you could keep it a secret."

"What?" Sydney said. "We are excellent secret keepers."

"From the world, yes," Eddie said. "From Jill, no."

It was true. Even though Jill hadn't had access to my thoughts for years, I was still in the habit of telling her everything. It didn't feel right not to give her access to my life.

"Well, _I_ could've kept it a secret," Sydney said.

"No secrets from your husband," I protested mildly, arms still around Jill.

Sydney pushed the laptop lid closed and shot me a quick glance. No Rome for now. That was okay, her look told me. Our friends were more important.

5.

_Sydney_

As soon as we got on the plane, I set my alarm to wake me an hour before the plane landed. Adrian laughed and shook his head. But this was Rome! I didn't want to miss a second of it, even of our descent. Our flight took off at 10pm and Adrian and, thankfully, our children, fell asleep quickly, but I spent an hour reading guide books I had memorized years ago. Adrian had wanted to buy us new ones, but it wouldn't feel right to abandon the old friends I'd been using to build dreams with since I was a teenage Alchemist. Then I made myself put them away. I wanted to be well rested for tomorrow.

When my alarm went off, gently vibrating against my hip, I opened my eyes, expecting to see a plane full of sleeping people. But Ana was pressed against the window.

"Rome, Mommy?" she asked.

"Not yet, sweetie," I said.

She frowned a little. Declan was excited about Rome, too, but Ana had latched onto the idea that Rome was some kind of dreamland. Adrian was a little worried that she'd be disappointed to find old buildings instead of amusement park rides (we'd visited Disney World for the first time last summer), but I told her stories of Roman history and tried to make it come alive.

Half-an-hour later, Declan woke, and joined his sister at the window. He'd been reading my guidebooks and started lecturing his little sister on what to expect. She interrupted him constantly, explaining in her babbling voice that she already _knew_ that.

Adrian woke just before we landed. 

"We did it," he said, as we got off the plane. "We made it."

I took his hand and squeezed it. "We really did."


End file.
